In this section

UWC Red Cross Nordic

1995

3 March 2017

UWC Red Cross Nordic College has three pillars: Nordic, Humanitarian and Environmental. All Nordic countries contribute to the funding of the College. The College is a Foundation, with the Red Cross in Norway and Sogn & Fjordane amongst the founders. As part of their Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) program students take a Red Cross diploma. On campus, sports facilities are shared with Red Cross Haugland Rehabilitation Centre, as a close co-operation partner.

Three Unique Features

Public Funding - Public funding from the Nordic countries enables the College to undertake a selection entirely based on merit and potential, creating a learning environment where diversity is truly experienced as a value for all.

Survivors of Conflict Program - The program, run together with the Norwegian Red Cross and Haugland Rehabilitation Centre, enables young people with disabilities coming from conflict zones to attend UWC RCN. The aim is that the participants will return to act as resourceful and active society members in their home countries.

The Foundation Year Program - A necessary prerequisite for including students from a marginalised background, it is offered to students who arrive with a disrupted educational background and limited competence in English. The main aims are to build confidence, nurture participation in our deliberately diverse student community, and prepare students for the demands of the two-year IB Diploma Program.

In the Classroom

UWC Red Cross Nordic offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) curriculum. Alongside standard courses, the College offers Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Global Politics, Science Project, Theater Arts. Additionally, first year students attend weekly sessions in the Red Cross Nordic Life Skills program, exploring and developing their familiarity with topics relating to Red Cross values and the Nordic, Humanitarian and Environmental pillars of the College.

Outside the Classroom

The extra-academic program focuses on three pillars: Nordic, Humanitarian and Environmental. It has a strong emphasis on community service with a wide range of cultural and outdoor activities. This can be in the form of: informal activities, extra-academic commitments, Project Based Learning Weeks, Frilufsveke - Ski Week, special events and programs, global concerns, Cultural Days, Campus Responsibilities, community service (i.e. Camp School, where all students of one generation do weekly service as a key component of their service program; Haugland Rehabilitation Service; Student Organisations). The College runs ceramics and knitting activities, and supports the craft and painting activities at Haugland Rehabilitation Centre. The beautiful fjord landscape provides an excellent setting for activities in the water and on the mountains. As a first year, you can be trained to become an outdoor leader, with the aim to put the competence into practice in the second year. Ridderrennet is an annual international ski competition for the disabled, where students are sent as participants and as volunteers.

Short Courses

UWC RCN runs a preparatory Summer Course in advance of the academic year to give new students with limited English exposure lessons in the language, help orient them to their new environment, provide them with a supportive network and introduce them to life at UWC.

Campus and Facilities

The College has 5 student residences, each housing 40 students. The rooms, hosting 5 students each, are furnished in traditional Norwegian style and each has its own bathroom facilities. A central laundry is situated in the middle of the Student Village. The College’s daughter company UWC Connect is responsible for accommodating external guests to the College in the two houses on campus built with the purpose that visitors can benefit from this diverse environment. There is good access to the swimming pool at the Haugland Centre as well as a weight training room and a gym.

Geographic Setting

The College is set in a beautiful fjord landscape on the Norwegian West Coast. It takes 40 minutes to Førde Airport Bringeland, and 3 hours to Bergen International Airport.